Excellent food . Nice menu unique items and he staff is friendly and staff very courteous .

Authentic feel and love the food !!

Japanese restaurant run by actual Japanese people! Fantastic food and service. Large menu that includes something for everyone. Authentic food that takes this place miles above your average chicken teriyaki bento box joint.

Used YELP to find this place while visiting for the day. Overall, it was ok and the specials for lunch were minimal. We couldn't even get a chicken teriyaki bento box! Where doesn't have that as an option? The food was decent quality. Price was about $10 for lunch. Atmosphere was ok and the tea was free.

I would try another place first before coming here a second time.

We really enjoy the sushi and traditional Japanese touches at Taiyo. Its our goto sushi spot

Great Sushi, Fast Service

Found this place using trip advisor.. and thanks to previous reviewers, it's now my number one sushi place in Nanaimo. Rolls were fresh and the spicy tuna was actually spicy! Service and staff were quick and friendly.

No offense, but I was just not impressed. I give it three stars because I dont think it was "bad" but the value was just not there, for the most part. In fairness, I am quite hooked on the creativity, quality, exemplary service and atmosphere of Nori Sushi. Side by side, the amount of food and quality of individual ingredients is just not on the same level. 10$ roll here is half the sheer... more

Ahhh - real Japanese food

SO hard to find a great Japanese restaurant, run by Japanese owners, cooks, servers …almost like being in Japan again. Ahhh.
Loved it! Small, restaurant tucked away in a funky area of old Nanaimo. Great service, great food. Found the sushi to be a somewhat small serving at lunch for the price but would return again for dinner. Lovely server... more

best traditional sushi

Inside and out this is the best traditional sushi in town!
Friendly staff...good prices.... fresh fresh fish

Good corner for lunch

Dropped in for lunch one day. Service was good and fast. Food was fresh overall ok. Nice spot we'd go back.

Delicious Lunch

We ordered some sushi to go and ate it outside in this cute neighbourhood. We eat a lot of Japanese food and were really impressed with our meal.

Cute atmosphere, friendly staff, decent sushi

As summed up above, this place was a very cute restaurant, and the staff were very friendly. They had a sizeable menu, with fair prices. As for the sushi itself, it was very decent. Not the spectacular/the best I've ever had, but good, fresh, quality fish. If I found myself back in Nanaimo and craving sushi again, I would definitely... more

the BEST Japanese restaurant

we have been dining at Bistro Taiyo since it opened at LEAST 2 times a week..the food is always good, reasonably priced, and the service is awesome!
A lot of Japanese restaurants serve farmed fish but this place does NOT!! The owners are Japanese!
VERY good..we are very picky..my husband is Japanese..

Authentic Japanese

This was our fourth visit to Bistro Taiyo in Nanaimo. The food and service have been consistently good each time. There are many dishes to choose from and after more than 50 trips to Japan over the years, I can attest to their authentic preparation. The sushi and sashimi are excellent, but my favorite thing is to order several appetizer... more

This probably is the best Japanese restaurant in the city operated by younger enthusiastic Japanese people! (the ownership has changed a couple years ago)

Everything is made from scratch and just like home-made meals. Personally loved the Saba (Mackerel) and white tuna...from the sushi bar. The service is great, and the price is friendly. I've lived in Tokyo for 15 years, so i know the real... more

One of our regular stops

I think I've actually lost count of the number of times I've been to this restaurant. That in itself says something about how we feel about Bistro Taiyo. The food is consistently good, the lunches are great value (love that 'Healthy Meal Set'!) and there is never a lot of empty seats.
I haven't been there for supper nearly as... more

Delicious sushi and assorted Japanese Izakaya items. Great selection. Very authentic.

Very traditional Japanese food, love it

We got deep fried chicken skin (may sound not really pleasure) but it is really good with mayo. We also got curry rice which was really good and really Japanese, salmon roe on rice (very fresh as well), and green tea tiramisu as our dessert. The dessert was surprisingly impressive which I was really happy about since there are not... more

Great Bento Boxes

This is one of our favourite restaurants for Japanese food. We've eaten here several times and not once disappointed. They change the food selection for their benton boxes and each time has been delicious and all for $10.

Very fine indeed

Bistro Taiyos is a fave lunch place for my friends and I, great location, fast, friendly service, great daily lunch Bento Box specials.
This is one of the finest places in town to eat.

Just like being in Japan

I was born and grew up in Japan, and I regularly go back to Japan to visit my family and friends. Izakaya (Traditional Japanese style pub/restaurant) is the type of place I often eat while in Japan, as they offer a wide variety of dishes in a lively and casual atmosphere at very reasonable prices. I have been eating at... more

Favourite place in nanaimo

We always go to bistro taiyo! Love it here, it is always so good and the staff are so friendly. I have brought many different people here and they all love it too, they then bring their friends as well. The atmosphere is great and they have a lot of variety on the menu. Everything is decently priced too. I... more

Favorite

I absolutely adore this place. The staff are incredible to say the least, so friendly and all very cute! The food is 100% as well as the desserts. This is my favorite restaurant ever since a friend showed me this hidden gem a year ago. I have a collection of the baby paper cranes they make, such a nice touch.... more

ok

pretty nice little place. good ambiance. nice service. nice part of town. we eat a lot of sushi so we may be spoiled

Great Place for Lunch

Fantastic, simple dishes. The fried tofu is delicious and the bento box is always full of good things.

A great spot for a casual Japanese lunch or dinner

The staff are welcoming in this small Japanese pub/restaurant in Nanaimo's Old City Quarter. There is a comprehensive menu with pictures. Plenty of choice in food and drink. The atmosphere is casual. It is easy to become a "regular" diner here - the food is good and Taiyo's formula simply works well for lunch or dinner with friends/family or business... more

Quaint Little Place

Great food. Good variety. Loved the Rice Bowl with Tuna. Lots of veggies and generous with the tuna. Service was excellent. Peak meal times are busy so come early.

Great Izakaya-style restaurant

I’ve always liked Bistro Taiyo—the previous owners were very sweet and once they got to know you a little, very friendly and always accommodating. The new incarnation is even better—nice furnishings and a little more up market, but still true to the atmosphere and feel of a small restaurant in Japan (and Korea). The sushi and sashimi is excellent and... more

We will be back

We really enjoyed this restaurant! We will definitely be back! I wish they were open on sundays!

Good variety and great service

My husband and I have eaten at this restaurant a couple of times and have really enjoyed their food. Fresh fish, some local choices, and great Japanese salads. Its a nice small place in a historic area of Nanaimo. Very gracious staff. We will come again! Thank you.

New Favourite Restaurant

Went here with a friend last Wednesday for the first time and was thoroughly impressed! I had a hard time choosing what to order because there were so many options... They had little photos next to most (if not all) of their items in the menu. Each day of the week has a new bento box which is great. I... more

Ignore the bad reviews

I have been eating Japanese for many years now and Taiyo is on par for okay to good food. It's the best on the Island and on note for the bad reviews... You people probably think Tim Hortons is good food. Gyoza is awesome and the Katsu curry is great on a cold winter night.

Extremely slow service

The miso soup was terrible-how do you ruin miso soup? Sushi was acceptable, but not great. Freshness of salmon questionable. Out of our party of four, 3 dinners were delivered quite slowly considering there were only 3 to 5 other people in the restaurant. The fourth dinner did not arrive at the table until everyone else was totally finished. Overall,... more

My new favorite restaurant

Great food, nice people. Sometime it's really busy there so if you want have a table rather than a sushi counter, give them a call and ask for a table even though counter was nice and sushi chef was friendly and cute very easy to talk, you can ask him a special roll!!
Great restaurant, I totally recommend it !!!

Still spectacular Japanese food on Vancouver Island

The former owners of this restaurant Kyoko and Shinya served up rock solid homestyle cooking and delighted us with their talents year after year. So good was this restaurant, we held our wedding feast here, ate here on the days both of our sons were born, celebrated birthday parties, and brought our bests guests. In Oct 09 Bistro Taiyo changed... more

Rundown Japanese restaurant with no atmosphere

I have been to this restaurant many times over the last few years - not so much because it is a good restaurant - but rather it is better than the other Japanese restaurant in downtown Nanaimo.
This restaurant reminds me of Japanese restaurants you might encounter in rural areas of Japan. It has a standard Japanese menu - but... more

This place has amazing food and amazing staff--it is an all around great place to go. Don't miss the edamame shumai, agedashi tofu, calamari, veggie nabeyaki or tofu yakisoba. I know that is a lot of stuff but it is all GREAT. Go with friends and share?

It's also a great place for kids; we take our toddler often and not only does he love the food but the staff is always excited to see him too.... more

best japanese in nanaimo...sushi was amazing...best miso soup! great service, fast and reasonable, oh and endless tea

best japanese in nanaimo...sushi was amazing...best miso soup! great service, fast and reasonable, oh and endless tea! love it!

Real Japanese food in Nanaimo

If you want to eat real Japanese food in Nanaimo, then you should definitely try this restuarant. The selection and quality of food is as good as you would find in many resturants in Japan, and certainly competes very favourably with any other Japanese resturants, not only on Vancouver Island, but anywhere else outside of Japan.
This is not a... more

Excellent home cooked Japanese food

We have been eating at Bistro Taiyo for years. The food is always excellent. Our family especially likes the many traditional foods they serve that you do not normally find at other Japanese restaurants. After spending 5 years living in Japan we missed kinpira gobo, gomaae, tonkatsu, hirashi chuka and other dishes like this. Always excellent, always good value. Best... more

The best sushi place

Bistro Taiyo has the healthiest sushi menu in Nanaimo and they also offer better service and better prices with a fun and funky decor.

The BEST sushi

The BEST sushi!!